Belt shifter and replacer.



No. 820,457. BATENTED MAY 15, 1906. G. A. WE STOVER. BELT SHIFTER ANDREPLAGER.

APPLICATION FILED JANA 1905. v

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

No. 820,457. PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.

G. A. WESTOVER. v

BELT SHIFT-ER AND REPLACER.

APPLICATION nun mm. 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

BELT SHIFTER AND REPLACER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1906.

Application filed January 4, 1905. Serial No. 239,658.

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. WESTOVER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Westhope, in the county of Bottineau and State of NorthDakota, have invented a new and useful Belt Shifter and Replacer, ofWhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to belt-replacing de vices, and has for itsprincipal object to pro vide a novel mechanism that is partly automaticin its nature and in which all of the parts assume a predeterminedinitial position after each operation.

With this and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists in certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts hereinafter fully'described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be madewithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a beltshifting and replacing mechanism constructed in accordance showing thesame as applied to a portable engine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation of a portion of the mechanismon the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 4 4 ofFig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawmgs.

The main shaft 10 is driven direct from an engine or other suitablesource of power and is provided with a pulley 11, over which passes abelt 12, the latter serving to transmit the power to any machinery to bedriven. This shaft may be supported on suitable bearings and may form apart of an engine of any character.

At a short distance from the main shaft 10 are arranged bearings 14 forthe support of a shaft 15, that is parallel with said shaft 10 and isconnected thereto by a bracing-bar 16. To the shaft 15 is secured alarge gear-wheel 17 and a sprocket-wheel 18, and said shaft furtherforms a fulcrum for a pair of loose rocker-arms 20, that are provided attheir upper ends with bearings for the support of a short shaft 21,carrying a pinion 22, that intermeshes with the gear 17. The shaft 21carries a friction-wheel 23, which-may move into contact with theperiphery of the main driving-wheel 11 and receive motion therefrom. Thebearing 14 carries an arm 24, the upper end of which serves as a supportfor a in 25, that carries at one end a brake-shoe 26. This block isnormally pushed in the direction of the wheel 23 by means of a spring 27but its movement in the direction of the wheel is limited by a stop pin28, carried by the pin 25.

To the shaft 21 is'connected one end of a rod 30, the opposite end ofwhich is connected'to a suitable operating-lever 31, arranged at anyconvenient point, said lever having a pawl 32, which may be engaged witha rack 33 in order to lock the lever in the position indicated at :20,Fig. 1. The normal position is that shown in 11 lines in Fig. 1, andwhen the belt is to be restored to the wheel the lever is moved to thedotted-line position y, this causing the friction-wheel 23 to move intocontact with the periphery of the main belt-wheel 11.

The main driving-shaft 10 is extended for some distance beyond thebelt-wheel, or, as shown in Fig. 4, a separate section 10 may be coupledon. This may be accomplished by providing the section 10 with a disk 35,that is connected by suitable staples or yokebolts 36 to the radial armsof the pulley. On the shaft-section 10 is a loose hub 38, that is 39,over which extends a link belt 40, the latter passing also over thesprocket-wheel 18. This hub 38 further carries a curved belt-replacingstrip 41, preferably formed of steel and following an approximatelycycloidal line from the hub to the periphery of the pulley 11. The outerportion of the arm is bent over the face or rim of the pulley and at itsfree end is provided with a pair of ears or lugs 43, which engage withthe edges of the rim and prevent lateral displacement of the strip. Thisstrip is further provided with a lug 44 to prevent excessive movement ofthe belt during the replacing operation. The sprocketwheel 39 isprotected by a gear-case 45, that is supported by the connecting-bar 16or is otherwise so arranged as to prevent contact between the belt andthe teeth of the sprocketwheel when the belt is removed from the pulley.

At a point adjacent to the lower line of the belt is a bracket 46, whichforms in connecprovided at one end with a sprocket-wheel belt-wheel 11.

tion with the main bearing or bracket 14 a support for avertically-disposed crank-shaft 47, and on said shaft is secured abevel-pinion 48, that intermeshes with the teeth 49 of a rack that iscarried by an arm 49, depending from one of the arms 20. When the twoarms are rocked in a direction away from the main belt-wheel 11, therack 49 will engage with and turn the gear 48 and the crank 50 at thelower end of the shaft will be moved outward and by engagement with thebelt will force the latter from the periphery of the To the extremelower end of the shaft 47 is secured a collar on which is pivoted abelt-supporting arm 52, which normally is held in a horizontal planedirectly under the belt by means of the bracket 46, and when the arm isturned outward it will ride down the cam-shaped face 53 of the bracketand fall to an approximately vertical position and permit the belt todrop. When the parts are turned in the opposite direction, the arm 52will be gradually raised under the belt and again restored to thehorizontal position.

When the parts are in the position shown in the drawings and it isdesired to remove the belt from the pulley, the operating-lever 31 ismoved to the dotted-line position 90. This movement is transmitted tothe shaft 21, and the arms 20 swing rearward on the shaft 1.5. Thismovement is transmitted through the rack 49 to the shaft 47, and thecranked end 50 of the shaft then engages and forces the belt outwardfrom contact with the main belt-wheel. When it is desired to replace thebelt', the operating-lever 31 is shifted to the dotted-line position y.This movement is transmitted through the rod 30 to shaft 21, and as thearms 20 swing forward the friction-wheel 23 will engage the periphery ofthe beltwheel. The rotative movement imparted to the friction-wheel istransmitted through the pinion 22 to the gear 1'7, thence through shaft15 to sprocket-wheel 18, and through link belt 40 to the sprocket wheel39. This movement drives the replacing-strip 41, and the latter movesinto contact with the belt and gradually carries the latter over the rimof the pulley, the replacing operation being completed by the time thestrip has made three-fourths of a revolution. After the free end of thestrip moves from be tween the rim of the belt-wheel and the belt itpasses between the friction-wheel 23 and the rim of said belt-wheel, andthe frictionwheel 23 is forced outward from engagement with thebelt-wheel and into contact with the brake-shoe 26, so that its movementwill be shifted, and the strip 41 will be stopped in approximately thesame position at each operation. Rearward movement of the lever 31 willbe prevented by the locking-pawl 32, so that the pulley 23 cannot beaccidentally moved against the belt-wheel. It will be noted that thestrip is arranged between the two runs of the belt, but not in anyposition to interfere with either the belt or the wheel around which itpasses.

It will be observed that the gearing connec tions are such that thebelt-replacing strip will revolve at a speed less than the periph eralspeed of the main belt-pulley, so that the belt will be caught on thesurface of the pulley and the operation rendered more certain than wherethe replacing-strip moves at the same speed or at a speed greater thanthat of the pulley.

Having thus described is claimed is 1. The combination with a pulley, ofa beltreplacing means, and mechanism operable from the pulley forrotating the same at a speed different from the peripheral speed of thepulley.

2. The combination with a pulley, of abeltreplacing means operable fromthe pulley for revolving the replacing means at a speed less than theperipheral speed of the pulley.

3. Thecombination with a pulley, of a beltreplacing strip disconnectedfrom the pulley and having one of its ends extending over the peripheryof the pulley, and means for transmitting rotative movement from thepulley to the strip.

4. The combination with a pulley, of a beltreplacing means normallydisconnected from the pulley, and means movable into engagement with theperiphery or belt-surface of the pulley for imparting movement from thepulley to the replacing means.

5. The combination with a pulley, of a beltreplacing strip, and meansoperable from the periphery of the pulley for revolving the strip at aspeed different from the peripheral speed of the pulley.

6. The combination with a pulley, of a beltreplacing strip, and meansoperable from the periphery of the pulley for revolving such strip at aspeed less then the peripheral speed of the pulley.

7. The combination with a pulley, of a beltreplacing strip havingoppositely-directed the invention, what lugs, one for engaging the sideof the pulleyrim, and the other for engaging the side of the belt.

8. The combination with a pulley, of a revoluble belt-replacing striphaving its axis of rotation coincident with that of the pulley, andmeans operable from the periphery of the pulley for revolving said stripat a speed different from the peripheral speed of the pulley.

9. The combination with a pulley, of a revoluble belt-replacing strip, afriction-roller movable into contact with the periphery of the pulley,and gearing connections between the friction-roller and the strip.

10. The combination with a pulley, of a revoluble belt-replacing strip,a frictionroller movable into engagement with the pul- ICC ley, gearingconnections between the frictionroller and the strip, said strip servingto remove the roller from engagement with the pulley at the end of eachoperation.

11. The combination with a pulley,'of a friction-roller movable intocontact with the periphery of the pulley, means normally holding saidfriction-roller in inoperative position, a belt-replacing strip, andgearing connections between the roller and the strip.

12. The combination with a pulley, of a revoluble belt-replacing strip,a pivotallymounted frame, a friction-roller supported thereby andmovable into engagement with the periphery of the pulley, means forsupporting the frame in inoperative position, and gearing connectionsbetween the frictionroller and the strip.

13. The combination with a pulley, of an independently-revolublebelt-replacing device, a shaft, a pair of rocker-arms supported thereon,a second shaft carried by the rockerarms, gears between the two shafts,a friction-wheel mounted on the second shaft and movable into contactwith the pulley, and

gearing connections for transmitting the movement of the first shaft tothe belt-replacing strip.

14.. The combination with a main shaft, of a pulley mounted thereon, asecond shaft parallel with the first, a belt-replacing strip having itsaxis of rotation coincident with the main shaft, a sprocket wheelsecured to said replaoingstrip, a sprocket-wheel and gear-wheel carriedby said second shaft, a link belt connecting the two sprocket-wheels, apairof rocker-arms mounted on the second shaft, an auxiliary shaftcarried by the rockerarms, a friction-wheel and a pinion carried by saidauxiliary shaft, means for holding the friction-wheel from contact withthe face of the pulley, and an operating-lever connected to saidauxiliary shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. WESTOVER.

Witnesses:

V. ORMSBY SoULE, A. F. DOHERTY.

